Hidden Worlds: An Exhibition Celebrating the Artistic Journey of Children at HNH

If you think that Greek myths are too far removed from the children's feelings because they come from far away, you are mistaken. Myths transcend cultural boundaries and are relevant to all of humanity. The similarities found between myths of different cultures serve as a reminder that we are all part of the same community, sharing a common human nature.

A few days ago, the biannual Art Exhibition at Hiba Academy Hangzhou (HNH) concluded. This year's exhibition was titled "Hidden Worlds: An Art Journey into Greek Mythology". The exhibition celebrated the children's achievements and highlighted the underlying meanings and processes that shaped their educational path in the Atelier, an environment for imagination, creativity, expression, and aesthetics in the daily lives of our pupils.

The exhibition aimed not only to showcase the works but also to shed light on the fact that art is an expressive need that is often related to real life. It delves into intricate and complicated stories of human beings. That is why this theme was chosen. Like in a fairy tale, we tend to protect children from the tragedy of the world, which most of the time means avoiding explaining our complex feelings as human beings, letting them think that a happy ending is everything they need.

Myths offer us a different way to understand our needs, values, and our place in the world. Myths are fascinating at any age because they offer a lens through which we can see the complexity of human existence, both the best and worst of human nature, both tragedy and victory.

Thanks to the children's curiosity and attraction to myth stories, it was possible to delve deeper into the meaning of the topics raised by the myths. The showcased artworks guide the exhibition attendees into a hidden side of these stories.

The pupils' inner talent to grasp the hidden world of the myths allowed Miss Irina and Miss Kelly, the Atelierista and Musician of the school, to collect the most meaningful work created by the children during this year of learning at HNH. Through different perspectives, we encourage pupils to develop critical thinking and seek new points of view. This approach allowed them to move beyond the superficial level of things and delve deeper into their most intimate and hidden nature.

The works are not narrative; they are expressive. They do not tell us a story as a story map would, but they can give us the feeling of the story they were inspired by with just one look.